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- Aug 29, 2013
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Hello everyone,
I took the DAT on August 6th, 2013 and received a rockin' score. I estimate that I studied roughly 650 hours for this DAT. A healthy attitude can do wonders in helping you put in the study hours necessary to upgrade your scores.
My Scores
PAT: 21 (87.9%)
Quantitative Reasoning: 27 (99.7%)
Reading Comprehension: 28 (99.7%)
Biology: 30 (100.0%)
General Chemistry: 29 (99.7%)
Organic Chemistry: 27 (98.7%)
Total Science: 30 (100.0%)
Academic Average: 28 (100.0%)
Bear in mind that scores this high are totally unnecessary for admittance to dental school.
Section I: Studying Advice
1) DAT Destroyer: The DAT Destroyer was solid stuff. We’re talkin’ good-to-go study material. I highly recommend Dr. Romano’s work.
2) My DAT Golden Rule: Every additional hour of studying is guaranteed to make a positive impact. Take easy college classes. Use the extra time to read through a DAT book. You'll feel better that way.
3) Using Your Computer: It is inevitable that at some point you will use a computer to study for this test. Wasting time and surfing the web can totally screw you over. To get a high DAT score, I’d recommend you take protective measures. For example, you can install time-saving protection software such as 1) K9 Web Protection AND 2) Rescue Time AND 3) Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability.
There are other computer filters out there. These are merely the ones that I used to deliver some crazy DAT studying.
4) Unplug Your TV: Every minute of TV equals one less minute of DAT studying. I’d recommend you unplug your television and ban TV from your laptop using K9 Web Protection. If you want to have fun, do something else such as baking a cake, playing sports, or calling up a friend.
5) Sample Test: You can monitor your progress using practice tests. Get a full night's sleep before the practice tests to ensure the scores will be most accurate. You can compare your practice scores to the real test by searching Student Doctor Network to see how other students' scores compared.
6) Ask Others (especially if they're experts): It's always nice to get the advice of others. Especially of people who did well. So if you ever meet anyone who did gorgeously well on the DAT, ask them about what differentiated their study habits from everyone else. (If you bump into insanely strong MCAT people, speak to them as well.)
Section II: Advice for Test Week
1) Test Week: Get loads of sleep in the nights leading up to the test. Also, the day right before the test, I personally did almost no studying. Instead, I spent that day relaxing and mentally visualizing myself destroying the DAT on the following day.
3) Spit 'em Up: As of August 2013, the testing center gives students two non-erasable laminated papers for scrap paper. These "non-erasable" laminated papers erase easily in water. Use saliva to erase anything you need to. (The DAT may have changed their materials since I took the test, so check online if this tip is still up-to-date.)
4) Timing: All questions are worth equal amounts. If you’re worried about running out of time, then skip any difficult questions and just do the easy ones. You can go back at the end. This tip is especially relevant for the Math, as nearly everyone runs out of time in that section.
Section III: Concluding Thoughts
So what differentiated me from everyone else? I began studying way earlier and spent way more time in total. (Think easy college classes, more free time. Always choose the easiest college professors you can.)
I began studying two years in advance and spent two summers in a row studying. (I wanted to take the test after my first summer, but was doing badly on practice tests, so I pushed it off a year. Worked out well.)
Story Time: Someone once asked me why I bothered to spend so much time studying. They took one look at my final score and said something like, "You must be a super genius. Why'd you start studying so much in advance and for so long?"
I said, "No, I actually have just a 3.6 GPA. I can't just go ahead and ace a test. I did so well on the DAT precisely because I started studying so far in advance for so long. (And because I've got all these computer filters so I don't waste time.)"
The sky's the limit. I believe that it’s conceivable for a student to get perfect 30s across the board. Straight 30s would just be the result of an exceptionally motivated student who started studying insanely early and did tons and tons of studying.
Rock on fellow dental students. Believe in yourself, study hard, and get that awesome DAT score.
I took the DAT on August 6th, 2013 and received a rockin' score. I estimate that I studied roughly 650 hours for this DAT. A healthy attitude can do wonders in helping you put in the study hours necessary to upgrade your scores.
My Scores
PAT: 21 (87.9%)
Quantitative Reasoning: 27 (99.7%)
Reading Comprehension: 28 (99.7%)
Biology: 30 (100.0%)
General Chemistry: 29 (99.7%)
Organic Chemistry: 27 (98.7%)
Total Science: 30 (100.0%)
Academic Average: 28 (100.0%)
Bear in mind that scores this high are totally unnecessary for admittance to dental school.
Section I: Studying Advice
1) DAT Destroyer: The DAT Destroyer was solid stuff. We’re talkin’ good-to-go study material. I highly recommend Dr. Romano’s work.
2) My DAT Golden Rule: Every additional hour of studying is guaranteed to make a positive impact. Take easy college classes. Use the extra time to read through a DAT book. You'll feel better that way.
3) Using Your Computer: It is inevitable that at some point you will use a computer to study for this test. Wasting time and surfing the web can totally screw you over. To get a high DAT score, I’d recommend you take protective measures. For example, you can install time-saving protection software such as 1) K9 Web Protection AND 2) Rescue Time AND 3) Covenant Eyes Internet Accountability.
There are other computer filters out there. These are merely the ones that I used to deliver some crazy DAT studying.
4) Unplug Your TV: Every minute of TV equals one less minute of DAT studying. I’d recommend you unplug your television and ban TV from your laptop using K9 Web Protection. If you want to have fun, do something else such as baking a cake, playing sports, or calling up a friend.
5) Sample Test: You can monitor your progress using practice tests. Get a full night's sleep before the practice tests to ensure the scores will be most accurate. You can compare your practice scores to the real test by searching Student Doctor Network to see how other students' scores compared.
6) Ask Others (especially if they're experts): It's always nice to get the advice of others. Especially of people who did well. So if you ever meet anyone who did gorgeously well on the DAT, ask them about what differentiated their study habits from everyone else. (If you bump into insanely strong MCAT people, speak to them as well.)
Section II: Advice for Test Week
1) Test Week: Get loads of sleep in the nights leading up to the test. Also, the day right before the test, I personally did almost no studying. Instead, I spent that day relaxing and mentally visualizing myself destroying the DAT on the following day.
3) Spit 'em Up: As of August 2013, the testing center gives students two non-erasable laminated papers for scrap paper. These "non-erasable" laminated papers erase easily in water. Use saliva to erase anything you need to. (The DAT may have changed their materials since I took the test, so check online if this tip is still up-to-date.)
4) Timing: All questions are worth equal amounts. If you’re worried about running out of time, then skip any difficult questions and just do the easy ones. You can go back at the end. This tip is especially relevant for the Math, as nearly everyone runs out of time in that section.
Section III: Concluding Thoughts
So what differentiated me from everyone else? I began studying way earlier and spent way more time in total. (Think easy college classes, more free time. Always choose the easiest college professors you can.)
I began studying two years in advance and spent two summers in a row studying. (I wanted to take the test after my first summer, but was doing badly on practice tests, so I pushed it off a year. Worked out well.)
Story Time: Someone once asked me why I bothered to spend so much time studying. They took one look at my final score and said something like, "You must be a super genius. Why'd you start studying so much in advance and for so long?"
I said, "No, I actually have just a 3.6 GPA. I can't just go ahead and ace a test. I did so well on the DAT precisely because I started studying so far in advance for so long. (And because I've got all these computer filters so I don't waste time.)"
The sky's the limit. I believe that it’s conceivable for a student to get perfect 30s across the board. Straight 30s would just be the result of an exceptionally motivated student who started studying insanely early and did tons and tons of studying.
Rock on fellow dental students. Believe in yourself, study hard, and get that awesome DAT score.
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